They arrived at the highest mountain peak in Leshill.
The rugged terrain was inaccessible by carriage, so the hike up took quite some time. By the time they reached the summit, the surroundings had grown dark.
The torrential rain grew even heavier, washing over the peak. Simon stood waiting with his umbrella open.
"I will begin now."
Lethe emerged from behind a rock, having changed into her Efnel uniform.
After a moment of quiet meditation, she gracefully knelt on the wet grass and clasped her hands together.
All traces of her usual playfulness vanished, replaced by complete solemnity. She folded her hands neatly and closed her eyes.
"Please put the umbrella away."
"Are you sure?"
"I am."
Simon stepped back, still holding the umbrella. Immediately, the harsh rain began to pelt her small shoulders.
Her pure white hair was instantly drenched, plastered against her skin as water streamed down her skirt, past her kneeling thighs, and into the muddy ground.
She didn’t flinch. ’What incredible focus,’ Simon thought.
"O great Mother of all creation."
Her clear, ringing voice carried through the storm as the prayer began.
As if in response, the sky rippled. The stars, previously hidden completely by the dark clouds, twinkled for a brief moment.
Soon, she began to conduct. The stars moved according to her direction, stretching out and leaving long trails of light behind, as if painting a masterpiece across the heavens.
The authority to move the night sky and its stars at will.
Seeing it again, Simon found it truly incredible.
A blinding flash of starlight poured down, as if the night sky itself were casting a spotlight directly on her. Lethe frowned slightly, clenching her praying hands tighter and gritting her teeth.
The light flared to a blinding intensity, washing the surroundings in brilliant white. For a moment, Simon thought day had broken. Soon, she released her clasped hands and looked up at the sky with glowing eyes.
Simon looked up as well.
The dark clouds were clearing away.
Before long, the night sky brightened as if a massive hole had been punched through the storm.
Through that gap, the stars peeked out, twinkling brilliantly.
"Even though I am a terrible believer who abandoned my duties and ran away, the starlight still answers me," she murmured.
"What are you talking about?" Simon asked. "If you’re a terrible believer, there wouldn’t be a single faithful person left in the world."
Lethe burst into laughter.
Simon approached her, took off his coat, and draped it over her drenched shoulders.
"Ah, thank you."
"Don’t mention it."
She stood up. Then, she shook her head adorably from side to side, her soaked hair whipping around and scattering water droplets everywhere.
"Hey!"
Simon raised his arms to block the spray and stepped back. She let out a hearty laugh.
"Now it is fair. I cannot be the only one getting wet, can I?"
"That’s harsh," Simon replied good-naturedly, but suddenly his face flushed, and he quickly turned his head away.
Lethe tilted her head in confusion before looking down at herself. Her uniform was soaked from the rainwater, making the thin fabric completely see-through.
"Good grief, it is nothing to get worked up about."
She pulled the coat Simon had given her tighter to cover herself. Then, she marched ahead, her white hair fluttering haughtily.
"Let us head down."
"Right behind you."
’ ’
With the rain finally stopped, Simon and Lethe arrived at his house.
Standing in front of the door, Lethe was about to knock with the back of her hand when she suddenly let out a heavy breath and crouched down.
"I-I cannot do it."
"Do what?"
"I am too nervous..."
Her fingertips were visibly trembling.
"Seeing Teacher Anna for the first time in a year... I am suddenly overcome with nerves."
It was a complete departure from the bold attitude she had shown on the mountain just moments ago.
"Then I’ll open it," Simon said. "Mom!"
"Do not do it, you punk!"
She unleashed a lightning-fast roundhouse kick. Simon freaked out and dropped low, practically flattening himself to the dirt.
"What are you doing?!"
"If anyone ruins even a speck of my touching reunion with Teacher Anna, just watch! I will absolutely kill them!" she growled, making a throat-slitting gesture.
’What kind of Saintess is that?’
As Simon smiled bitterly, a voice called out from inside the house.
"I think Simon is back, honey. I hear Lethe’s voice, too."
It was Anna.
Soon, the sound of approaching footsteps echoed. Lethe let out a small gasp and stepped back. Her face flushed red as she frantically looked around, ultimately ducking behind Simon’s back.
Simon let out an amused chuckle, grabbed her by the shoulders, and pushed her back to the front.
Lethe glared at him with a sullen expression, but then she clasped her hands tightly over her chest and stared earnestly at the door.
The door clicked open, and Anna appeared. She didn’t look particularly surprised, wearing a benevolent smile instead.
"Welcome back, Lethe."
The moment those warm words washed over her, tears welled up in Lethe’s eyes.
Soon, they were pouring down endlessly as if a dam had broken. Embarrassed, she tried to hold back her sobs with a sharp intake of breath, but she couldn’t. Letting her emotions pour out, she threw her arms wide and ran forward.
"Teacher Anna!"
Lethe threw herself into the woman’s embrace. Anna caught Lethe steadily and patted her back.
She sniffled, her nose running.
"It has been so hard for me! His Holiness the Pope is so strict, and Lord Israphel only ever nags that I cannot do this or that, and especially those perverted old geezers...!" she cried, hiccuping between words.
"There, there."
Anna warmly hugged Lethe and let her cry her eyes out for a while. Simon waited a short distance away, unable to find the right timing to intervene. Since they were blocking the entrance, he couldn’t even go inside.
Anna spotted Simon over Lethe’s shoulder and smiled.
"Good work, son."
"Thanks, Mom."
Lethe, who was still sniffling in Anna’s arms, stuck up her middle finger with red, teary eyes.
[STOP STARING AND GET LOST ALREADY.]
It seemed she was too embarrassed to be seen like this.
Flipping him off while hiccuping in Anna’s arms like a tragic heroine was deeply amusing. Smiling, Simon squeezed past them and stepped inside.
"You’re back, Simon."
Richard was sitting in a chair in the living room.
"I am, Father!"
"The rain has stopped."
"Lethe used her powers."
"I see."
Richard stood up and went to greet Lethe.
"Thanks to you, a great weight has been lifted off our shoulders."
’ ’
That evening, Anna had the perfect excuse to prepare a grand dinner.
It was a feast to celebrate Simon’s return, their reunion with Lethe, and the end of the rain.
"Wait, what is all this?"
The table legs seemed to be groaning under the sheer weight of the food. The spread was filled with a wide variety of dishes, centered around a massive roast turkey.
Food wasn’t exactly plentiful due to the recent heavy rains, but that wasn’t an issue for Anna. She could make over ten different dishes with potatoes alone.
"Teacher Anna! I will help you too!"
"Thank you, but you’re a guest, Lethe. Please wait at the table."
As if she hadn’t just been bawling her eyes out, Lethe was bursting with energy. She stuck to Anna like glue, refusing to leave her side.
"How do you make the sauce for these stir-fried potatoes?"
Chatting affectionately in the kitchen, the two of them looked exactly like a mother and daughter.
Soon, the twenty-course dinner was complete. They even lit candles to set the mood. The Polentia family and Lethe sat around the table, enjoying a harmonious meal.
"Son, how is the lemon pie?"
"It’s incredible. I love that the subtle lemon flavor isn’t too sweet!"
Simon ate while offering colorful praises for his mother’s cooking. Because he gave his thoughts on every single bite, his compliments were somewhat repetitive, but Anna always beamed with delight in response.
Soon, the topic shifted to Simon’s school life. As he listened, Richard’s expression hardened.
"So, the position of Student Council President hasn’t been decided yet?"
"No."
"Balak, you say."
Richard closed his eyes, lost in thought.
"I’ve heard that name somewhere before."
Dressed in pajamas, Lethe waved her fork around with a huff.
"What are you doing, unable to beat a mere third-year runner-up? You should be ashamed."
Anna brought a new dish from the kitchen and placed it on the table.
"From what I hear, he sounds like a frightening person. Nothing good will come from getting involved with someone like that, Simon."
"I know, but still."
Simon clenched his fists tightly.
"I can’t forgive the person who did that to Senior Aizel. If Balak wants to fight again, I’ll fight him."
"That’s exactly the right mindset!"
Richard slammed his hand on the table with a heavy thud.
"Let’s do some special training over the break. Before he graduates, you must crush him and show him the true difference in your strength."
"Honey! As long as he has a normal school life and graduates, that’s enough. Why are you trying to pick a fight again?"
Sensing that his parents were about to start another marital spat, Simon quickly changed the subject to Lethe. Richard and Anna were also curious about why Lethe had burst into tears the moment she arrived, so she explained why she had run away and come to Leshill.
"Teacher Anna, how did you endure being surrounded by people doing such awful things?"
Anna hummed, putting on a thoughtful expression.
"Well, I don’t think there was anyone like that during my time as a Saintess."
"What? That cannot be true!"
Anna laughed gracefully.
"The bishops and archbishops all treated me very kindly. There’s no way such deeply faithful people would do anything untoward."
It wasn’t a very helpful point of reference.
Lethe rested her chin on her hand and let out a deep sigh.
"Well, I suppose that makes sense. Teacher Anna, you exude this incredible aura and presence. Since you were the legendary Saintess of Miracles, those weirdos must have tucked their tails in on their own."
Anna’s youth.
The youngest Saintess, and the strongest Saintess.
Ever since "that incident," the Holy Federation had kept her name hushed up in official settings, but even now, she was quietly spoken of as a legendary figure.
Lethe shrugged.
"On the other hand, I reek of being a greenhorn, which is why those dung flies swarm around me."
"Oh my, you look incredibly dignified and impressive as a Saintess too, Lethe."
"I do not need that kind of pity."
When Lethe crossed her arms, pretending to pout, Anna stood up from her seat.
"It’s not pity, I mean it. I have the clothes I used to wear as a Saintess in my room. Would you like to try them on?"
Anna took Lethe out of the room, and the remaining men naturally shifted the conversation to necromancer topics. Simon told his father about the North, which Richard was sure to find the most interesting.
Richard was particularly shocked to hear that Zairos was still alive and had become the new Northern God. However, after hearing that Simon had handled the situation well and that Zairos had joined the Legion, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"That’s good. That’s really good. Great work, Simon."
"It was my duty, of course."
"I don’t have the face to look Zairos in the eye."
Richard closed his eyes and opened them again.
"Right, how is Jin doing?"
"The Grand Duke? She’s doing great! She even asked me to send you her regards."
Richard wore a subtle smile.
"I’m sure she has grown into a splendid woman, hasn’t she?"
"Father."
Just then, Anna’s presence materialized from behind them. Richard immediately straightened his posture and pretended to eat his soup.
"Ta-da! What do you two think?"
Anna stepped back, revealing Lethe dressed in a pristine white gown.
Simon was completely mesmerized by her appearance.
"Ugh, this is too tight."
"Bear with it just a little."
It truly felt as though a divine Saintess had graced their humble home. Lethe looked over at the awestruck Simon, gave a meaningful smile, and did a twirl in place.
"How do I look?"
"It... suits you."
Lethe beamed, then suddenly launched herself forward, aiming a spectacular kick right at Simon’s head.
"Whoa!"
Simon hastily jerked his head back to dodge. Lethe quickly grabbed her skirt and grinned.
"Ah, my apologies. Seeing your expression just now reminded me of the bishops who used to ogle me, so I felt the sudden urge to beat you up."
"What are you talking about?!"
Anna clasped her hands together and looked at Richard.
"How does our Lethe look, honey?"
Richard hummed.
He didn’t even cast a glance at Lethe, let alone peek at her. Instead, he simply reached his arm out to the side and pointed at the family photo showing Anna in her dress.
"In my eyes, I can only see how you look in a dress, honey."
"Oh my."
Richard had learned exactly how to survive in the jungle that was his household.
---
At the same time.
In the place known as the ’Room Where Time Rewinds’.
A loud, eerie screech reminiscent of wailing ghosts echoed through the space. Awakened by the noise, Jane, who had been sleeping face-down on the desk, opened her eyes.
’It has begun.’
The hands of all the time artifacts were spinning counterclockwise. The sand in the hourglasses was flowing upward, filling from the bottom to the top.
’TICK! TOCK! TICK!’
And standing in the center of it all was Nephthys.
Having finally woven the magic formula using the power of time, she waved her hand.
The empty air shattered like glass, creating a massive golden tunnel. Panting, Nephthys threw both arms into the air and shouted.
"I did iiiit!"
Jane stood up from her seat.
"You have completed it. The time tunnel to the past."
"Yeah! Though it’s not entirely perfect yet!"
Jane rolled her shoulders and stepped forward.
"I will go myself."
"No, you can’t, Jane."
Nephthys shook her head. Jane stopped in her tracks and looked back at her.
"Then will you send the crows?"
"No. For this matter, there’s something more important than strength."
As she made a grasping gesture in the air, the golden portal distorted slightly and shrank into the palm of her hand.
"What is that?"
Nephthys hummed, laughing as she walked with light, skipping steps.
"Let’s see."
"Shall we call it... inevitability?"
"You are speaking in riddles again."
"Tell the agents to prepare an unofficial teleportation magic circle, Jane."
Nephthys smiled brightly.
"The destination is Leshill."
--- ’

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